"And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.'"(John 6:35)


Prayers for August 22, 2006
From The Voice of the Martyrs


INDIA (VOM Canada)
On the night of August 5th, more than 50 Hindu militants stormed the House of Hope orphanage in Dantewara, Chhattisgarh state, in an attempt to forcibly close it. According to sources, the mob was armed with clubs and bamboo sticks. They beat the director, Suresh (35), and threatened to kill him if he continues with the orphanage. They also questioned and threatened several of the children. Suresh is presently in treatment for his injuries. Efforts to lodge a police complaint have failed.

(Compass Direct)
Hindu extremists have threatened four Christian women accused of "forced" conversion in Tamil Nadu state, while two priests of a Catholic high school in neighboring Karnataka state have been attacked. August 5th police led a team of four women from the Good Shepherd Community Church in Erode district of Tamil Nadu to reach a compromise agreement with the person who had accused them of forced conversion. The women had shown a Christian film to about 150 people without incident. Under the agreement, the women are not to preach Christ to anyone who objects or expresses unwillingness to listen. Earlier, in Hebbagodi, near Bangalore, Father Soby Thomas, vice-principal of St. Francis de Sales High School, and school administrator Father Vinod Kanat, were attacked with cricket bats by a group of about 20 people outside the hostel for poor students at Kammasandra.

(Compass Direct)
August 14th, when Vinod Karsal, pastor at the Assembly of God Church in Jabalpur, visited another pastor to pray for him, a mob of 45 to 50 people gathered outside the house, and began shouting anti-Christian chants and broke in. Unable to find the Bible the pastors had hidden, the Hindu extremists planted gospel tracts in the glove compartment of Karsal's scooter and police soon arrived to arrest him for "forcible conversion." Police held him until 11:30 p.m., until raging crowds outside the station baying for the pastor had dispersed.

Ask our Father to defend all these faithful believers who want to please Him. Pray the perpetrators of these crimes will know Christ's love, forgiveness and blessing through the lives of the Christians. Pray God will heal all injured in mind and body, blessing them through their suffering with His strength.


IRAQ (Compass Direct)
On August 17th, Iraqi church leaders issued appeals today for the release of a Chaldean Catholic priest kidnapped the day before in Southeast Baghdad. Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk Louis Sako said Father Saad Sirop of St. Jacob parish in Baghdad's Doura district was on his way home from celebrating mass at St. Jacob church at about 6:30 a.m. when his car was stopped by three armed men with masks who forced him into their car. "I think there are two reasons these kidnappings are taking place," Sako told Compass. "The first reason is money. But the second reason is they want to push Christians out of Iraq." Sirop is the second Chaldean Catholic priest to be kidnapped in Baghdad this month. According to Sako, Father Raad Kashan of Baghdad's Battawin district was abducted two weeks before by a group seeking ransom almost two weeks ago. The priest managed to escape after three days in captivity by promising to return to his captors with funds for his release.

Pray Jesus will make Himself known to these priests with a comforting sense of His loving presence. Pray they will be the light of Christ to those around them. Pray God will move in power in Iraq, bringing the message of salvation to many nominal Muslims who live in superstitious fear of Allah.


KYRGYZSTAN (VOM Canada)
July 28th, a church planter and his son were surrounded by a large mob opposed to their ministry in the predominantly Muslim community in Kara Kuldza, Kyrgyzstan. The church planter suffered broken fingers and severe head injuries. Both his home and the building where the church meets were ransacked and all the Christian literature was taken out and burned in the street. The national director for the Bible League in Kyrgyzstan reports that such incidents are not uncommon. Mobs have frequently disrupted worship services and threatened to burn down their homes if the religious activities do not stop. In several locations, the wives of the church planters have been raped when they would not flee.

Pray this church planter will fully recover from his wounds. Ask God to protect him and his family from further attacks. Pray the Holy Spirit will bring many people in Kyrgyzstan to a precious relationship with Jesus.